The Peculiar Reason Italians Adore Kate Middleton Has Nothing to Do With Her Royal Title
The show of admiration on the first day of Kate Middleton's trip to Italy was palpable, as people gathered in numbers to catch a sight of the princess.
Kate Middleton is easily one of the most loved royals, and she is popular among people beyond Britain's borders. This was evident when she landed in Reggio Emilia, Italy, as people gathered in large numbers to see and talk to her. While her warm persona and genuine nature are reasons for most of the love that she receives, there is another peculiar reason behind why the Italians adore her.
Royal expert Emily Nash recently revealed a conversation that she had with Antonello Guerrera, the UK correspondent for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, in an article for Hello!. The latter revealed how Middleton’s background before her wedding to Prince William has earned her brownie points with Italian fans. “I think (Kate Middleton) is the most loved because of her origins. She's a commoner. She's not from the lineage of the royal family. This always made her more palatable in a country like Italy, which rejected the royal family a century ago,” Guerrera said.
Calling the Princess of Wales “the most famous member of the British royal family in Italy”, the journalist further added, “Kate has always been, I think, the favorite among Italians. She’s young and glamorous and is a member of the royal family, but she comes from a normal background.” Guerrera also believed that Middleton had stepped into the shoes of the late Queen Elizabeth when it came to popularity on a global scale. Although King Charles is also very popular and had been a triumph in Italy a year ago, his daughter-in-law is still ahead in the game.
Middleton’s tour to Italy this week is a significantly positive marker for her health as it’s her first overseas work trip since her cancer diagnosis in 2024. Guerrera further told Nash how concerned Italians were when they found out that the Princess of Wales was sick. “When she was ill, everyone was so shocked, and the empathy was enormous. I felt like, almost on a daily basis, friends and family were asking me, 'How's Kate? What's going on? Will she get better?'” he said.
Nash herself attested to that when she had a brief but very enlightening conversation with her Italian taxi driver this week. She wrote, “Arriving back at my hotel a short while ago, the taxi driver asked if I was here for Kate’s visit. His immediate follow-up question: ‘How is she doing now? Is she better?’” The questions revealed a lot about Middleton’s popularity in the country. She might not yet be the Queen of England, but she has definitely cemented her place as the queen of hearts, much like the Princess of Wales who preceded her.
Middleton, on her part, returned the love the Italians showered on her on the first day of the Reggio Emilia trip. She chatted with onlookers at Piazza Camillo Prampolini and, in her signature move, bent down to talk to kids. She even broke royal protocol to embrace a woman and click selfies with fans.
